Give Me Love
by plgine
Summary: He told himself that he would never make a fool out of himself, acting like a besotted loser over a bookworm. But, bloody hell, what is happening to him? A Dramione one-shot. AU and a bit of OOC, but for a good reason. R&R!


"I helped you with that sodding divorce case against Astoria. And I even helped you bring Blaise and Pansy together even if I think that Blaise is too good for that freaking best friend of yours. So I find it perfectly reasonable for you to pull some strings for me so that I could sneak in a small dinner meeting with Viktor," an exasperated Hermione told him with her wide brown eyes drilling through him.

"They're in denial," Draco sighed. "All they needed was some sort of intervention for them to finally be honest. And since when have you been in a first name basis with Blaise, but still choose to call me Malfoy?" he asked, raising a fine eyebrow.

"You still call me Granger."

"Touché."

"He's changed, okay? He's awfully a good person for a former Slytherin." Hermione said as she fastened more papers to a folder and then dumping it to a stack of growing documents on her mahogany desk. "But that's beside the point. I'm talking about an act of gratitude, Malfoy." She heard him snort. "Fine! Equivalent exchange or whatever the hell you bloody Slytherins call it. I just need another chance to set this right."

The amusement in his eyes disappeared as fast as it came. "Wait, hold up! What do you mean _you _need a chance to set it right? Last time I checked, he was the one who messed up."

"But I didn't give him a chance to explain. I always td to just _partially _listen to their explanations and let my mind make conclusions with the things I've seen. It's kind of unfair, to be honest," she trailed off, still holding another folder in her hands.

"You're being unreasonable," he said incredulously.

"I _was _unreasonable," she corrected.

Draco blinked. _This woman has issues._

"Look," he sat at the edge of her desk, earning him a glare which he carelessly ignored. "That freaking Weasley deserved everything. You needn't dig and search further for the 'truth'. The truth was in fact obvious ever since you caught them in a broom closet, going at it like rabbits. He and that Brown wench?" He ignored the wince of pain that came across her prett— er, face. "And it did not come once or twice, it blew up in your face many, many times. Oh and that last one that half of the Ministry saw when you caught them again. It still give me the heebie jeebies, mind you," he said with a shudder.

Hermione looked out the window, "Thanks for the reminder, jerkface."

"Oh yes, very mature, Granger."

Her head snapped at him, her mouth pursed in a thin line, preparing to give him a spiteful remark. But she paused, seeing a playful smirk on his face. She sighed and clasped her hands together on top of her desk. "Okay, so now what?"

"Before anything else, Granger, the divorce with that Weasley is one of the best decisions you've made in your life as much as I did with the bitch of a wife I've had. I know that you wanted to be free from that phase in your life, but it doesn't mean that you should yourself entirely and be all reckless and naïve."

A pause. Well, she was still looking at him, earnestly waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat. _This would be the last chance for that sodding Krum._

"So what day are you available so I could work things out? He finally gave in.

She beamed at him.

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"You are so into her," Blaise said with a chortle.

"Shut up," Draco said as he threw his head back, swallowing a shot of Devil's Springs as Blaise looked at him with a devious smile.

It wasn't a moment later when the blonde man started to cough violently, "What the bloody hell is this?" he tearily asked, grabbing the bottle of foreign alcohol.

Blaise gave a hearty laugh, fully enjoying the sight of his friend nearly choking and is busy grasping his chest. "Don't tell me I didn't warn you a while ago."

"You told me it was strong, you didn't tell me that it would bite hard and kick my bloody ass!"

"Whoa! Whoa! What is all the racket in here?" And so entered the swollen Mrs. Zabini.

"Gave him the strong old Clifton's," he said with a snicker. He glanced at his wife and threw his hands up in defense, "What? The situation practically calls for it."

"Calls for it my arse," she bit out and sat on a couch, arms crossed. "I know there's something wrong, Draco. Spill it."

And spill, he did.

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The grandfather's clock tolled, indicating that it was midnight. It gave her some sort of relief, for it temporarily drowned the sound of the raging storm outside the manor. Even for a short moment, it engulfed the thing—the sound that reminded her of the utter pain and rejection that smacked her all a few hours back. The Fates were probably cackling at her sheer misfortune.

The violent clinking of the spoon against the teacup echoed in her ears, and she guessed—no, she _knew _—that he was barely keeping his anger. She stared at the spoon as it went in circles, and she almost laughed emptily at the similarity of it all. She did not want to admit it, but part of her knew that she was definitely, _definitely _going in circles. He gave her the cup and she accepted with shaky hands. He sat quietly on the other couch across her, silently watching her every move. And she did her best to ignore him even just for a while.

She felt that she wanted Viktor Krum. There was a spark back then, even back in Hogwarts. He was supposed to be Mr. Right. The charms. The manners. The smile. The fame. The power. The brains. The athleticism. The mystery. He was supposed to be every woman wanted, even a woman like her. They should be compatible.

But they aren't.

_Merlin, why?_

"Two hours," Draco started.

"Malfoy, please," she pleaded.

"No, Granger," he replied harshly and she involuntarily flinched, pulling the blanket wrapped around her tighter and squeezed herself to a tighter ball in the couch. "We are going to deal with this now."

"I don't want to talk about it at the moment, I'm not ready. So just please, give me some time," she tried. She met his eyes but quickly let go. There was fire in them that burns right through her, and it scares her if she would keep their gazes locked together. She might drown in those orbs of molten metal. She might snap. She might lose control. So she let go.

"You don't trust me then," he said frankly.

"I do," she quickly said.

"Then prove it," he challenged.

Hermione looked away.

Jaws and fists clenches, Draco shot up from his seat and made for the door.

"Malfoy, wait!" she called, panicked.

He stopped mid-step but refused to face her, keeping her from seeing the pain that was evident on his face. He wanted to throw things against the wall. He wanted to hurt that fucking Krum's face and bash his face in so hard. He wanted to shout at her for being so stupid, for being so dense, for being so naïve, for being imperfect yet so magnificently perfect at the same time. He ached for her. But he needed to keep control. _Shit._

"Please don't go." Her soft voice begged him. She seemed so scared and confused. He fought the urge to come to her and embrace her tightly. _Control, Draco. _He reminded himself. Mentally scolding himself for being too disgustingly soft-hearted. _Control._

He turned his head but refused to look at her, he can't help feeling bitter. "I don't know, Granger. Lately you've been so downright stupid that I think you're no longer that know-it-all bookworm from Gryffindor that I've oh so hated once upon a time."

She closed her eyes and swallowed. He knew that his words stung like he wanted to, but boy, how a despicable rotter he felt he was when it did. He breathed out harshly, running a hand through his tousled hair. "I swear, Granger, that you're going to be the death of me," he said resignedly as he heavily sat back to his couch.

He watched her once again as she stared into an unseen spot on the coffee table between them. He waited for her to speak, but nothing came out of her pale lips. The storm continued outside, violently rattling the windows of his house. A lightning struck but not of them even gave out a flinch. Their cups, half empty, have long gone cold but he kept himself from calling Mindy the house elf to retrieve them. It may have been seconds, minutes, hours even, that have passed until he could take no more and eventually spoke.

"Are we just going to sit here like idiots or are we going to be productive in this ungodly hour?" His voice, hoarse due to weariness rang in her head.

Her head snapped up as her doe eyes looked at him. He wanted to laugh at the expression that was uncharacteristic of her. The cruel old Slytherin boy wanted to whoop at her misfortune, but he didn't. Because that old Draco was gone. He hated her before, but now…

She inhaled a shaky breath before she spoke. "I never imagined that I would get stood up, by Viktor much less."

He didn't reply and only watched as she absently played with the edge of the blanket still wrapped around her. "He said that he'd come, and would tell me everything—the truth that he wanted to tell me since six months ago. I was so excited. To think that I could start again with a wonderful guy? It was perfect, something almost written out from a fairytale. He was always so kind and sweet when we go out. I mean, there's no reason for him to do that right?" She looked at him, eyes pleading for confirmation. "Unless-"

"He got married today," he cut in.

He watched as her face blanched. "What?" she gasped.

"He got married," he shook his head and corrected himself, "He eloped with Jennifer Dawn today."

Her gaze wavered. Her brows wrinkled for a moment, obviously searching her vast mind for the familiar name. And it wasn't long until comprehension dawned in her face. "Jennifer Dawn, she was a Gryffindor."

"And she once signed up for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in school," he softly added, cautiously minding her reaction. "They had an on again, off again relationship for the past three years."

"Even during the time that we dated?" she asked.

His eyes avoided her teary ones. And that was all she needed.

He heard a sob. Then another. She's crying. Crying because of that unworthy sod who left her hanging. She was crying like a confused and frightened child. She deserved to be comforted. But she needed to see the truth that her muddled mind have refused to perceive. And he chose what he thought was far better. And he'd do it the Slytherin way.

"Face it, Granger, it's the end of you. Not that there was the both of you to start with," he muttered the last part.

But oh his luck was not on his side as well as the woman with the disheveled curly hair stared daggers at him. "Fuck you, Malfoy! I don't need that smart mouth of yours, so sod off!" She all but screamed.

That's when his patience finally snapped. His blood boiled and he stood up, towering over her with a frightening sneer. "Fuck all this shit! Can't you see? You're losing yourself! You're no longer you. Gone was that bright intelligent woman I've known from Hogwarts! You know what? I've admired and hated you before because you're too fucking perfect, but all I see now is a lost girl drowning in her fears and senseless insecurities because she wanted to 'let go' of the past."

"Malfoy—"she started with her high-pitched voice and that tear-stricken face.

"No, Hermione," he interfered, finally using her name for the first time ever since their complicated friendship two years ago. And he did not falter when her pupils evidently dilated and her mouth parted at the sound of his voice saying her name.

"Look here, Hermione," he spoke. She flinched, but he brushed off the reaction and began speaking again, determined to finally put some sense through her head after all this shit. "You think that what you're doing is for the best, but it isn't. Merlin knows that I've been dying to tell you the bloody truth.

You're telling me, no scratch that, you're telling _all of us _that you're picking up the pieces when all you're really doing is smash everything to smithereens and ruin yourself further by living in that soddingly suffocating past you've had with that fucking Ronniekins of yours and doing it all over again with that excuse of a man named Viktor Krum. It's like hitting the replay button of that stupid past of your life when you don't even have to! You don't deserve to get that life of maltreatment, much less from you."

"I don't what to do anymore, okay?" Hermione cried in admittance, standing despite her shaking knees. "I don't want to be alone anymore. I have two kids back at Hogwarts but, I know that it's not enough no matter how many times I deny it. I'm no longer whole because I willingly gave a large part of me to that git Ronald, and he left me with almost nothing. He left me broke, he left me alone. What do you expect me to do, cry over someone who didn't bat an eyelash on leaving me for a stupid whore? I don't want to be like a forsaken loser left out like a useless rag. You don't understand, Malfoy!"

She shook her head. "You just don't freaking understand," she whispered, voice cracking.

Silence.

That was all that she heard from the man in front of her. Stormy grey orbs were enveloping her and she can't help but look away. _Merlin, fuck it all. Just fuck it all._

With a defeated sigh, she hurriedly wiped the tears away from her heated cheeks and turned to retrieve her things and head home.

"What if I want to make you whole again?"

She froze. Another moment passed when she stiffly met his gaze again. "W-What?" her voice trembled.

He seemed nervous for a moment, but he pressed on. "What if I gave you all of me to make you whole again? Would you accept?" Draco whispered.

There was a heartbeat. Two. Three. Many. But she just stood there, eyes closed. Frozen like a statue.

The fire crackled from the hearth. And he could take the weight of the air between them no more. "Hermione?" he breathed, a hand outstretched hesitantly.

And finally, slowly, her eyes fluttered open. And he saw how beautiful her face was as it caught the faint light of the fire. And how her eyes tearily twinkled, genuinely smiling at him. And he felt his heart soar when a simple word came from her sweet lips.

"Yes."

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"_Give a little time to me, or burn this out._

_We'll play hide and seek to turn this around._

_All I want is a taste that your lips allow._

_My, My, My, My, Give me love._

_My, My, My, My, Give me love…"_


End file.
